The #1 Question You Should Ask Your Partner Before Moving In Together

It’s no secret that people these days are waiting until they are older to get married and often, never marrying at all. With a recent survey finding that the average age of marriage is now five years older than it was in 1960, millennials are often perceived as being fickle and afraid of commitment.

It’s interesting to note however that while young people are not necessarily getting married, more and more unmarried millennials are choosing to move in with their significant other at a young age – 9.2 percent today, compared with 5.8 percent in 1997.

While moving in with the one you love can often be a magical experience, there is no denying that there are always going to be issues that arise when two people bond their live together. In a recent interview with My Domaine, Holly Johnson, one-half of the husband-wife duo behind Club Thrifty, shared her experience of moving in with her partner, offering some insightful tips.

According to Johnson, the single most important thing that couples should discuss before moving in together is their individual financial situations, sharing details of any debt that they may have. If you are going to be sharing expenses or opening a combined bank account, it’s important to be aware of any baggage that your partner may come with.

“A large debt load might be a deal-breaker, and you should find out these details before you invest more time into a potential partner—and especially before you move in with them,” she explained. “Certain types of people are prone to overspending and can land in debt easily; they’re the people who tend to have a lot of ‘stuff’ but not a lot of money in the bank.”

Before moving in with your partner it’s important to consider how their spending habits may affect you and if their attitude towards money aligns with your own. “From experience, I can say that living with someone who is bad with money is extremely difficult if you’re frugal and responsible,” Johnson noted.

While it may not seem like a big deal now, having a partner that shares your financial values could go a long way towards helping to maintain the peace. “Finding someone you are compatible with financially makes a huge difference when it comes to forging a happy relationship,” Johnson concluded.